The last lunar event of the year is upon us as a Cold Moon will light up the night skies in a few days. The ‘Cold Moon’ is the last full moon of the year, or the full moon of December.
It is also called the ‘Long Nights Moon’ in the US. Cold Moon occurs right after Christmas day, the ‘Moon after Yule’ in Europe.
This comes after sky watchers witnessed the ‘Christmas Star’ and the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn just before Christmas.
Here’s all you need to know about when, where and how to watch the 2020 Cold Moon at its peak:
Date:
The Cold Moon is the 13th and final full moon of 2020 and will be visible for two nights.
Cold Moon will take place on Tuesday, December 29.
In India, the Cold Moon will be on December 30.
Time:
The Cold Moon will be at its peak on December 29 at 10.30 pm EST.
The best time to view the Cold Moon in India will be 8.58 am IST, on December 30 morning.
But you can watch the full moon at its glory by looking up at the sky at night on these two nights.
The best time to watch full moons is when they can be most easily seen during moonrise, which occurs in the eastern sky.
Sky gazers should find the time when the match-up is closest so that the rising full moon can be seen amid gathering twilight.
The peak time to watch the Cold Moon is around 15 minutes after moonrise.
Cold Moon is the highest in Earth’s night sky:
The full moon of December always rises the highest in the sky. The Cold Moon comes just a few days after the longest night of the year. Because of this, the Cold Moon will take a higher and more northerly trajectory in the night sky as it opposite to the low sun.
The moon will be above the horizon longer than at other time of the year and pass close to the zenith, the point directly overhead in the sky.